Jonathan Eric Simonini of Needham, MA, and Fayston, VT, passed away on June 27, 2012, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was the beloved husband of Kristin (Somol) and loving father of Benjamin. Jon was a graduate of The Belmont Hill School and Lehigh University. He was loved by many and will be remembered for his kind heart, gentle nature and joyful spirit. Jon is survived by his parents, Dinah and Donald Simonini of Fayston, grandfather Frederick Simonini of Quincy, MA, sister Laurel and Michael Schnitman of Wellesley, MA, as well as many other adoring family members.

As we reflect on Jon’s life, it is filled with happy memories, fun times and great family experiences. Jonathan lived a “true lifetime” in his mere 32 calendar years.

Jonathan grew up in Fayston, VT, and learned to ski at Mad River Glen and Sugarbush Resort. Jon was a terrific skier and an even better snowboarder. He could do things on his snowboard that were nothing short of amazing. Jon was also a surfboarder and was equally as good riding the waves in Narragansett, RI, where his grandparents lived or in Hawaii with Kristin on their honeymoon. He was also an expert sailor and learned this skill while sailing with his family in Greece, Turkey, Spain, New England and throughout the Caribbean. He snowboarded in Colorado and Utah and took airplane rides with his mom, dad and his sister Laurel in our small airplane throughout the East Coast. The family memories surrounding these “adventurous times” will keep us talking and remembering Jon forever.

The happiest memories for Jonathan and his family were those hours, days and weeks we spent here in our home in Fayston, VT. Whether it was skiing, snowboarding, sledding, hiking or swimming in “the river,” our Vermont memories helped define our family and provided Jonathan with a quality of life unsurpassed anywhere. We are grateful that Jonathan had the opportunity to grow up in Fayston and experience “the magic” of Vermont.

We feel very lucky that we all had our chance to say goodbye to Jonathan on Saturday, June 23, because after the 23rd he was unable to communicate back to us. We each were able to say our goodbyes and Jonathan was able to acknowledge our words and for this we are all very grateful. It is not often in death that we have a chance to speak what we have bottled up in our heads to the person before the person passes. We all had that chance with Jonathan and will be ever grateful in knowing he heard each of our thoughts and heard our goodbyes.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, a trust has been set up for Jonathan’s 2-year-old son Benjamin. Please send any donations to The Benjamin R. Simonini Educational Trust, c\o Steven M. Cohen, Esq., Pabian & Russell, LLC, 265 Franklin Street, Boston, MA 02110.